Logger Toyz

Day 121: Hikers who are coming in to Pack Forest for the first time are advised by a sign in the parking area to pick up a map at the office. What the sign neglects to say is that the map is hand-drawn, not to scale and out of date by a couple of years. During my walk today, I encountered half a dozen people who had no idea where they were. I offered what help I could, giving them mileages between points and explaining the road system verbally. To add to the difficulty, there are logging operations in place at various points currently. These necessitate trail and road closures, and in many cases, the closures are poorly signed. In fact, eight miles into my walk, I came up against a closed trail with no alternate route indicated. Familiar with Pack's road system, I knew that the branch to the right was a dead end, but also that the left option led down into an area of active logging. The only thing which saved me from having to turn around and go back the way I had come was the fact that the crew was working in another area. From the looks of things, Pack Forest may lose its "nice place to walk" status by the time the logging is done.